According to local tradition, the church of San Pietro a Mele was founded where Saint Peter stopped after landing at Crapolla, establishing a place of worship named San Pietro in Vincoli over a pagan cemetery in Sottomonte, just outside the walls of Sorrento. Although oral tradition places its origins in antiquity, written documents first mention the church in 1550, as earlier records were lost during a Saracen raid on June 13, 1558. Now managed by the parish of Nostra Signora di Lourdes, the building underwent major modifications over time. Bishop Filippo Anastasio ordered a restoration in 1721, recorded on a plaque in the sacristy. In 1843, the original two-aisled church was demolished with explosives to permit the widening of the road between Sant'Agnello and Sorrento, then rebuilt nearby on a smaller scale. In 1912, engineer Luigi Amalfi reshaped the church from its former octagonal layout into its present structure using land donated by Mrs. Ambrosi, an excavation that revealed additional remains from the Sottomonte necropolis. Further restorations were carried out in 2011.
What to see
The exterior façade is divided horizontally into two sections by a thin pilaster. The lower portion contains a single wooden entrance portal framed by two white Carrara marble columns supporting an entablature. The upper section features exposed, unplastered tufa stone masonry with two stacked oval windows. The bell tower emerges directly from the double-pitch roof.
The interior is organized into two unequal naves. The larger right nave features a floor patterned with white Carrara marble diamonds bounded by gray marble strips, accentuating red marble diamonds at each corner intersection. At the end of the right aisle stands the high altar with a square marble table, backed by a Baroque-style tempietto containing a painting of the Madonna and Child. The smaller left nave, floored in white and gray marble, leads to the rectory located behind and on the upper floor of the sanctuary.
Visiting
The church operates under the parish of Nostra Signora di Lourdes and sits along the main connecting road between Sorrento and Sant'Agnello.
Our editors' tip
Examine the upper section of the front façade to observe the raw, exposed tufa blocks and stacked oval openings, which showcase the native stone construction techniques of the Sorrento peninsula.